NFL Player News

Flowers (lower body) did not participate in Wednesday's practice, but he did run sprints on the side, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Flowers has been held out of practice since last week with what is believed to be a minor lower-body issue, but it's a positive sign that he received clearance to run. It was reported Tuesday that Flowers will practice fully next week and suit up for Week 1, and he appears to be on track to do so.

Coach Dave Canales said Wednesday he's "very optimistic" Brooks (soreness) will be available for Week 1 against the Bears, Sheena Quick of Fox Sports Radio 1340 reports.

It's unclear if Brooks' soreness is in his surgically-repaired knee or elsewhere, but he's worked off to the side with trainers at practice each of the last two days. While Brooks has drawn a substantial amount of summer hype, Chuba Hubbard (hamstring) is expected to maintain a large role in the Carolina backfield. Neither running back may be a reliable fantasy bet out of the gates against Chicago.

Walker (ankle) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, Pete Sweeney of The Kansas City Star reports.

Walker dealt with some swelling around his ankle last week due to some cleat issues, but the star running back is back in action Wednesday with 12 days to go before the Chiefs open their season at home against the Broncos on Monday, Sept. 14. After splitting duties with Zach Charbonnet (knee) in Seattle, Walker is expected to operate as a three-down workhorse with Kansas City this season. Only fifth-round rookie Emmett Johnson and 2025 seventh-rounder Brashard Smith round out the depth chart behind Walker.

With coach Klint Kubiak naming Kirk Cousins the Raiders' starting quarterback Wednesday, Mendoza will open the season as the backup, Sam Warren of The Athletic reports.

Mendoza was in the competition all offseason, but it was going to take some otherworldly play to knock Cousins out of the top spot on the depth chart. While Cousins completed 13 of 17 passes for 101 yards and one touchdown across 30 preseason snaps, Mendoza struggled some, completing just 26 of 46 passes for 250 yards, one touchdown and a pair of interceptions during exhibition action. Cousins is likely to have a decently long leash to begin the season, but Mendoza remains a good bet to make starts as a rookie.

Coach Klint Kubiak expressed optimism Wednesday that Jeanty (ankle) will be ready for Week 1 against the Dolphins, Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Jeanty hasn't practiced this week after suffering what is believed to be a low-ankle sprain back on Aug. 23, but the running back has been working off to the side with trainers in an effort to get ready for the start of the regular season. Once the Raiders are required to release true injury reports next week, there will be a better idea of Jeanty's availability for the regular-season opener. Mike Washington and Dylan Laube are next up for carries if Jeanty is unable to play against Miami.

Coach Klint Kubiak named Cousins the Raiders' starting quarterback Wednesday, Sam Warren of The Athletic reports.

It was a decision everyone expected and comes as no surprise after Cousins worked with the first-team offense all offseason. Cousins played 30 offensive snaps during the preseason and completed 13 of 17 pass attempts for 101 yards and one touchdown, while rookie No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza was more scattershot, completing just 26 of 46 passes for 250 yards, one touchdown and a pair of picks. Cousins should have a somewhat long leash to begin the season, but Mendoza remains very likely to see rookie-year playing time.

Tucker (undisclosed) didn't practice Wednesday, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

Coach Todd Bowles said Tucker is dealing with a minor injury. It's unclear if it's an issue that will affect his availability for the Bucs' Week 1 game against the Bengals in 11 days. Tucker is expected to handle RB3 duties behind Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell this season. There's a chance Tucker could see some action in short-yardage and goal-line situations. He's an injury away from a substantial role in the Tampa Bay backfield.

Gibbs had a strong day in the Lions' final practice of training camp Thursday, most notably running for 59- and 16-yard touchdowns during the session, Tim Twentyman of the team's official site reports.

After being contained on the first two of the first-team offense's eight drives on the day, Gibbs delivered his biggest gain of the day on the Lions' third possession. On the second play of that drive, Gibbs followed a block from right guard Tate Ratledge, then found daylight while bouncing out to the outside and raced past cornerback Avonte Maddox for a 59-yard house call. He then finished practice with his second touchdown of the day, taking a fourth-and-1 pitch to the outside and following a Penei Sewell block to beat multiple defenders to the pylon. The two scoring jaunts were demonstrative of Gibbs' trademark explosiveness in open space, but now that David Montgomery is in Houston, the Lions are likely to turn to Gibbs to add more work to his plate in the form of increased usage in goal-line situations and as a runner on early downs. Detroit signed Isiah Pacheco this offseason with the goal of having him take on some of those functions that Montgomery had handled, but Pacheco won't be available until Week 5 at the earliest while he recovers from a back injury as well as an MCL sprain.

Gordon (ribs) is practicing in a non-contact jersey Wednesday, Alain Poupart of SI.com reports.

Gordon was injured in the Dolphins' second preseason game and missed the final exhibition contest last week. Across two preseason appearances, Gordon rushed 11 times for 47 yards and caught one of his two targets for 10 yards. He's competing with Jaylen Wright for the backup role behind De'Von Achane this season.

Brooks (soreness) was working off to the side with a trainer during Wednesday's practice, Mike Kaye of ESPN.com reports.

Brooks has been dealing with some soreness in an undisclosed area for the past couple of days, as coach Dave Canales has been vague when describing the running back's issue. There doesn't seem to be any indication Brooks is in danger of missing Week 1 against the Bears in 11 days, but he's going to need to get back on the practice field next week.